Forget iPhone, the Gphone is here — Google, the nearly $13.5 billion search engine major, is believed to be a fortnight away from the worldwide launch of its much-awaited Google Phone (Gphone) and has started talks with service providers in India for an exclusive launch on one of their networks.

Could The GPhone Be Nigh? — Todays completely unsubstantiated rumor comes from Rediff News, a usually well respected source of news based in India. Rediff is reporting that the Google Phone is set to be launched in 2 weeks time! The GPhone is said to simultaneously launch in both Europe …

Google May Start New York Transit Guide to Boost Ads — Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) — Google Inc., owner of the most popular Internet search engine, provides online transit guides for more than a dozen U.S. cities including Dallas and San Diego. Now it may take on the biggest.

Google to add transit maps for New York — Google has been providing Google Maps-based public transit directions for a few years now. If you happen to live in Portland, San Diego, Pittsburgh, or a handful of other cities, that is. — But Bloomberg is reporting that Google Transit …

Court orders pirate to use Windows — A man convicted of illegally downloading an episode of Star Wars has been told that he can no longer use his computer with an Ubuntu Linux operating system. — Scott McCausland pleaded guilty last year to 'conspiracy to commit copyright infringement …

SoundExchange reaches Web royalties deal — SoundExchange Inc., an organization that collects royalties for musicians and record companies, agreed with a group representing Internet broadcasters to cap fees at $50,000 a year per webcaster. — The webcasters agreed to provide the agency …

IBM may open source Jazz collaboration software — San Francisco (IDGNS) - IBM's Rational Software unit is considering putting parts of its Jazz collaboration framework into open source, according to an executive of the company. — "We might think about open-sourcing some of the very lowest layers …

Coming Soon: A New Look! — Remember the first time that you logged into orkut? Maybe you received a coveted invitation from a friend, heard about it in a blog, or stumbled upon it when searching for a social network on google.com. But no matter when your first login was …

SunRocket Sues Vonage Over Use of Customer List — Confidentiality Agreement an Issue in Case — When Internet phone start-up SunRocket suddenly closed its doors last month, several competitors offered special rates and other incentives to attract its former customers.

In Primary, Tech's Home Is a Magnet — SAN FRANCISCO — For presidential candidates campaigning in Iowa, the place to be is the state fair. Diners are popular in New Hampshire. But for those visiting Silicon Valley, it's the Googleplex. — The destination, Google's headquarters …

Venture Capital, Rockin' to the Oldies — As Music Industry Sales Sag, — A London Bank Steps In — To Fund Veteran Performers — LONDON — Past-their-prime rock bands are used to being ignored by record labels and mocked by the music press. But, in Britain, they've found a new groupie: venture capital.

'Hey! Nielsen,' Why Are You Going Viral? Researcher Develops Social Network To Measure TV, Internet, Music, Celebrities — FIRST THERE WAS MYSPACE. THEN there was Facebook. Now the world's biggest researcher is launching "Hey! Nielsen," a new online social community where people can discuss …

Mitsubishi working on 3D Blu-ray players, displays — We've seen a couple attempts at large-scale 3D displays that split DLP's 120Hz display rate into two 60Hz HD fields, but Mitsubishi is apparently showing off a slightly more advanced version of the technology at The Barclay's PGA Tour event, featuring 3D content on Blu-ray discs.

Conn. offers high-tech voting lessons — HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut is going high-tech to lure young voters to the polls. — Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz announced Thursday that her agency's Web site will offer a video showing how to use the state's recently acquired optical scan voting machines.

2018 Top 100 Global Tech Leaders — 21st century technology-sector leadership requires more than financial success. It also requires a commitment to compliance, innovation, and much more. Who are today's leaders?